Lewis-Moore had been believed to be committed to Notre...

February 07, 2008

Lewis-Moore had been believed to be committed to Notre Dame for a few days, but a family member said over the weekend that any word of a switch from the Aggies to the Irish would have to come from the player himself. Lo and behold, when Notre Dame released its list of signed players late Wednesday morning, there was Lewis-Moore's name. Lewis-Moore originally committed to A&M, but that was before Dennis Franchione was replaced by Mike Sherman. Lewis-Moore reportedly recommitted to A&M within the last few weeks after visiting Notre Dame. But there's a reason they're called non-binding verbal commitments. "(ND assistant Rob) Ianello did a super job recruiting him and developed a relationship with him and was steady through the whole process even when he wasn't sure where he was going to go," Weatherford coach Kenny Wheaton said. "From the get-go, because everyone in the world recruited this kid, we just wanted someone to take care of him." "Physically, he looks like he's ready for college already," CSTV recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said of the 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end. "That's a real good move for Notre Dame." Knox, a running back from Birmingham High in the Los Angeles area, had originally committed to UCLA, but that was before Karl Dorrell was fired and replaced by Rick Neuheisel. Knox visited Notre Dame last weekend. "(Notre Dame) did a great job and really laid out the red carpet and made him feel welcome," Birmingham coach Ed Croson told the Los Angeles Times. "I'm going to live and die with this decision. It's a chance for family to see me at home," Knox told the paper. Walker committed to Notre Dame early last month, but speculation was swirling late Tuesday that he was reconsidering his choice. And Ed Homer, Walker's coach at The Christchurch (Va.) School, admitted that Walker faced some difficulty with his decision to pick ND over Penn State, whose coaches developed a good relationship with Walker. "Not because he didn't love Notre Dame or anything," Homer said, "but Penn State meant a lot to him and was a great opportunity for him there. He would have been the man there, as far as where he played and what he played at Penn State. And at Notre Dame there's at least two other really big kids coming in in just this class." Those two would be Michael Floyd, one of the nation's top receivers, and John Goodman, another solid catch by the Irish. Last Thursday, Ianello and fellow assistant Ron Powlus visited Walker, and the visit was spent talking Xs and Os and where Walker fit in the offense. "And I think that made him feel better," Homer said. Homer text-messaged the Penn State staff at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday to let them know that Walker was staying true to his ND commitment, and faxed the letter-of-intent to South Bend at 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, ending a mini-drama. Homer, though, couldn't pinpoint exactly when Walker made up his mind. "As far as when it was finally over, heck, I can't tell you," Homer said. "I just know that it's over now."